


Hellions #5

by Commander_Ferro



Series: Posthumanity [5]
Category: Marvel (Comics)
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-20
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-08-26 12:16:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16681456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Commander_Ferro/pseuds/Commander_Ferro
Summary: The Hellions take on the Morlocks.  A dark future looms.





	Hellions #5

For Wolfsbane, Magik and Sunspot, it was like coming home. Here they were at Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters alongside Thunderbird and Roulette. The school was closed, and legally owned by Emma Frost, but this wasn’t a social call. They were here as part of a mission. Tunnels led from Xavier’s to the Morlock Tunnels beneath New York City. In theory, it would have been easier to have Magik teleport them to their destination, but the timing had to be perfect. If they arrived too early or too late, things might not work out right. Instead, they had to take the long way.  
“Yuck,” said Roulette. “I do not want to be in these sewers.”  
“Try doing it with an enhanced sense of smell,” Wolfsbane said.  
“I’m glad that isn’t one of my enhanced senses,” said Thunderbird. “Sight and sound are good enough for me.”  
“Let’s just do this,” said Magik.  
“I concur,” Sunspot added.  
“Roulette, you get the locks,” Thunderbird said.  
Moving to the number pad that kept the door from opening, Roulette began to make guesses. After the first failure, a voice informed her than two subsequent failures would permanently disable the door. The second attempt yielded no results, and the door reminded her about disabling the door, adding that it would also incarcerate the person making the attempt until an authorized person at Xavier’s released them. Worried, Roulette summoned a white disc – meant to grant good luck – and grasped it tightly in one hand while the other worked the keypad. This time she was successful and the door slid open.  
“Third time’s the charm,” Roulette said.  
“Wolfsbane,” said Thunderbird. “I know you hate the smell, but you and I need to scout ahead. If you could go wolf, that’d be great.”  
“I don’t really need to anymore,” said Wolfsbane. “My senses are very keen, even in human form. But I’ll do as you ask.”  
For those who were aware, and paying attention, Wolfsbane could be seen passing through what had once been considered to be her normal human form – an unattractive, flat-chested girl with bristly hair. At the end, she became a large, red-furred wolf. People had once tried to classify what kind of wolf she was before realizing that she fit no known breed.  
Wasting little time, Wolfsbane ran ahead into the tunnel. Thunderbird followed suit, not only able to keep pace but actually having to slow down. The other Hellions followed behind them, though not nearly as quickly.  
“This is tedious,” said Magik. “I don’t want to walk all the way to Manhattan when we could be there in seconds.”  
“Ms. Frost had good reason to tell you not to do that,” Sunspot said. “If you accidentally teleport us to another time it could ruin everything.”  
“Why work in teams if we can’t combine our powers? Roulette, want to mix and match or would you rather trudge through the sewers?”  
“With a little luck,” Roulette began. “We’ll end up exactly when and where we want to be.”  
Roulette summoned a white disc and threw it at Magik. At the moment of contact, Magik summoned five of her stepping discs to teleport them to the Morlock Tunnels. They landed right in the midst of several Morlocks. Magik, Wolfsbane, and Sunspot were able to identify a few of them right off. There were Sunder, Caliban, Plague, Leech and Masque. There were also several others they didn’t know, but their target was present.  
“What have we here,” asked Masque. “Five pretty young mutants, perhaps?”  
Masque was a hideous creature to behold. He, she or it was horribly deformed and hidden behind a hood. Even that failed to completely hide Masque’s features, but that might have been intentional.  
“No Callisto,” Thunderbird asked.  
“That’s none of your business but the traitor is gone.”  
“Intelligence on that was right,” Roulette commented.  
Masque took a closer look at the five before him. The uniforms were unknown to him except for the logo on their chests. It was the symbol of the Hellfire Club and that could mean only one thing.  
“What are Xavier’s brats doing with the Hellions,” Masque demanded.  
“True calling,” Magik said with a malevolent smile.  
“You’re here for me?”  
“Right the first time,” said Sunspot.  
“Morlocks! Get them!”  
“Guys,” Magik shouted. “Remember that most of them aren’t really bad but stay away from the little green guy. And don’t hurt Caliban or Kitty will kill us!”  
Sunder charged forward but ran right into Thunderbird. The two began to tussle, but it was difficult to determine who might be the victor just yet.  
Roulette, for her part, stepped back. She began to visualize the way she wanted the battle to go. She figured that good luck for her meant that things would go well for her but she wanted it to go exactly as she envisioned. Much to Roulette’s surprise, that’s exactly what happened.  
Magik caused a stepping disc to appear beneath Leech and whisk him to another part of the tunnel. Something inside of her was changing and she didn’t really want to hurt him. She knew he was just an innocent kid who had been rejected upside and had to follow orders in order to survive. Still, she couldn’t let him interfere with her objective.  
A creature from out of the shadows ran past Wolfsbane, attempting to rake claws across her back. Too fast, and too fully aware of her surroundings, meant that Wolfsbane was just barely able to dodge the attack.  
“Beautiful,” said a voice. It almost sounded like growling but at the same time had a feline quality. “Feral loves to play with prey and this one will provide some sport.”  
Wolfsbane shifted to her transitional form. Typically, it wasn’t as strong as her lupine form, or hadn’t been in times past, but it allowed for greater range of movement and the ability to implement her fighting skills. Rather than wait for another attack, Wolfsbane leaped toward Feral. The other moved, but not before Wolfsbane drew blood.  
“You’re gonna pay for that,” hissed Feral.  
Her movements were predictable. Feral was untrained and attacked using only her rage. That was all that drove her. Wolfsbane could see that Feral saw only predators and prey. The mistake she made was in not knowing the difference.  
When Feral came near Wolfsbane, the Hellion grabbed her by the neck and flung her against the wall. Then she shifted back to human.  
“You should give up, Feral. You’ll only ever be a third-rate version of me.”  
That served only to further enrage Feral. The cat creature leaped at Wolfsbane, who still hadn’t changed form. Suddenly, Wolfsbane’s leg shot up in the air and kicked Feral, once more sending her flying into the wall. Then, as if to show her utter disdain for the Morlock, Wolfsbane turned to walk away.  
Feral, never before in her life having been so furious, launched herself once more at Wolfsbane. This time Wolfsbane shifted to transitional form. She turned and raked her claws into Feral’s face, knocking her to the ground. While Feral was still off-balance, Wolfsbane shifted fully into wolf form and jumped on her enemy. The other tried to fend her off, but Wolfsbane kept at it until the Morlock stopped moving, at which point her head was almost completely severed from the body. Pulling away, Wolfsbane assumed human form, wiping blood from her mouth.  
“I said you were no match for me.”  
Sunspot had found himself facing an opponent with spiky hair that stood on end and who had a patch over his right eye. When Sunspot rushed at him, the Morlock uncovered the patch, which sent an electric bolt forth. It stunned Sunspot temporarily but mostly just got him angry. Almost as if by instinct, Sunspot fired off a burst of solar energy at the other. It knocked him into the wall, purely by force alone, but the Morlock absorbed the energy from it and shot it right back. Sunspot blocked the blast with a bolt of his own and moved steadily forward until he was directly in front of the other.  
“Perhaps you can absorb my blasts,” Sunspot said. “But I doubt your power is of much use against this!”  
Sunspot punched the Morlock in the gut, causing him to keel over and spit out blood. There was a loud crack. There was no doubt that Sunspot had broken his back. Sunspot left him alone, knowing the Healer could mend him, but at the same time keeping him out of the battle.  
Plague came up behind Roulette, who was still intent on the battle as a whole.  
“You’ve been staying out of the way, dearie,” said Plague. “That won’t do you much good against my deadly touch!”  
Roulette summoned a black disc and flung it at Plague. The result was instantaneous as Plague’s power began to backfire on her. All the diseases that lived within Plague were turning on her. The effect might only be temporary, but it did keep her out of the way.  
Thunderbird, who had been trading blows with Sunder, finally got the upper hand. He ducked under one of Sunder’s punches and hoisted the Morlock into the air, slamming him hard into the ground.  
“We’ve only got one target here,” said Thunderbird. “I suggest you stay out of the way.”  
Sunder, who might have been able to rise up again, chose to comply.  
“Caliban,” Masque shouted. “Get them!”  
“Caliban will not,” said Caliban. “You are a bad man and Caliban will be glad to see you go.”  
“You heard the man,” Magik said. “Time to go.”  
Magik summoned a stepping disc beneath Masque, but he didn’t vanish. Instead, it slowly rose up until it was at his waist. Only then was the teleportation activated, taking the lower half of Masque’s body away and leaving the rest behind. Masque gasped, but the shock caused him to pass out before he bled to death.  
Caliban made his way over to Magik, but his mannerisms suggested he was not being aggressive. Magik simply watched and waited.  
“Caliban can sense friend Kitty on you and heard you say her name. Is she well?”  
Magik smiled. Caliban had once tried to force Kitty to marry him because he had fallen in love with her. The bargain had been made when Colossus – Magik’s own brother – had been mortally wounded. The Morlocks refused to allow the Healer to help him unless Kitty agreed to marry Caliban and remain forever in the Morlock Tunnels. Caliban saw how unhappy Kitty was in the tunnels and released her from her vow.  
“She’s fine, Caliban,” Magik responded. “I’m sure she’d be glad to know you’re safe, too. I can tell her… that you send your love.”  
Caliban’s face lit up with joy when he heard those words. He wasn’t fool enough to believe Kitty would return that love, but his feelings hadn’t changed. Caliban hugged Magik.  
“Caliban must ask one more thing. Is friend Leech okay?”  
“Oh, yeah,” said Magik. “I just sent him to the mansion. I’ll bring him back. No, wait. The mansion’s empty now. If you can find Morlocks you absolutely trust, I’ll bring you all there. It’ll be a lot safer. You’d still really need to live in the lower levels so you don’t attract attention, but it would be better than here.”  
“Hold on a minute, Magik,” said Thunderbird. “This is a little outside of the scope of our mission. Besides, we don’t have time for this. We need to get to the rendezvous point.”  
“Then go.”  
With a snap of her fingers, the other four Hellions vanished.  
Over the next few hours, Caliban managed to assemble a number of other Morlocks. Among them were Annalee, Ape, Beautiful Dreamer, the Healer, Piper, Scaleface, Skids, Sunder, Tar Baby and Tommy. Caliban said there might be others but that was all for the present. Magik teleported them to the sub-basement of Xavier’s and showed them how to use things and get access to the food storage that was present in case the X-Men ever had to stay below for extended periods of time. It was quite possible that the Morlocks could survive for years on that food. With a sufficiently intelligent Morlock, they might even discover how to use some of the more intricate technology. Then she gave Caliban one last hug before going off to face the wrath of Emma Frost. She never got there, instead screaming in agony just before everything went black.

“How could you lose her,” Emma screamed, both verbally and telepathically.  
“She teleported us away,” said Sunspot. “What could we do?”  
Emma fumed. She knew Sunspot was right but that didn’t make it any easier.  
“Rahne, you did an excellent job and I’m giving you a bonus. Now all of you get out of here.”  
As the Hellions left, Emma rubbed her temples. There was no way to track Illyana. She was immune to telepathy and could hide from Cerebra whenever she wanted. It seemed as though she were doing so right now since she didn’t register anywhere in the world. The alternative was that her jaunt had taken her through time and that she would reappear as close to the present as possible. That had happened once before when the New Mutants were unwilling guests at the Academy. None of that made any difference. The truth was that Emma was becoming increasingly fond of the Hellions. She no longer looked at them simply as weapons to be aimed at enemies, instead coming to genuinely care for their wellbeing. That even factored into why the Hellions only did one mission per month and with a rotation of members going on those missions. If Illyana ever did return, Emma decided she was going to dedicate her time teaching her to fully control her teleportation abilities.

When the sun came up, Rahne rose with it. Sharon was partial to sleeping during the day, but only got that luxury on weekends. Today was different mainly because Sharon wanted to hear about the mission. Even after a serious scrubbing in the shower, Sharon could still smell the blood on Rahne. She was willing to bet Rahne had made her first kill. This was confirmed when Rahne recounted the story to Sharon.  
“How did it make you feel,” Sharon asked.  
“I could see everything she was going to do so clearly,” said Rahne. “She was just a dumb animal, guided only by instinct and rage. I imagine we’d be like that if we ignored our intelligence.”  
“Did she force you to kill her?”  
Rahne hesitated, not entirely sure herself.  
“Not exactly. I defeated her and turned to walk away, giving her the chance to let it end. Even then I thought I’d hurt her just enough to take her out of the fight. Then it hit me that she truly was an animal. She would prey on both humans and other Morlocks. I decided she was too much of a threat to live so I turned to wolf and tore out her throat.”  
“Did it upset you? I could feel the adrenaline when you came in last night.”  
“No, it didn’t bother me. It was a necessary act, like putting down a rabid dog. She couldn’t help what she was, or at least I don’t think so, but she still couldn’t be allowed to live.”  
Sharon hugged Rahne.  
“You amaze me. You’re not a killer, and you shouldn’t be, but you can still make that choice when necessary. Some of the Hellions thought I was cold or cruel to kill Windshear, but it was an act of mercy. I had no wish to see him die, but there was no way to save him. I simply made it quick and clean rather than let him suffer as he slowly bled to death.”  
“I know. I understand you. But just now I need another shower. I know the blood isn’t there but I can still smell it.”

Rahne took a shower, scrubbing herself clean, and then spent some time doing her hair and applying makeup. After the events of the mission, Rahne had a desire to be girly. Besides, Adam would like it.  
When she returned to her room, the door was ajar. Without even seeing him, Rahne knew it was Adam. She could smell him and that made her feel good.  
“Hello, Adam,” Rahne said as she walked into the room.  
Adam grinned.  
“I thought you were never coming out,” Adam teased. “You’re just like my sister. Now come over here and give me a kiss.”  
Rahne complied without reservation. Two months ago she would never have dreamed of kissing a boy, or at least not have thought it possible. Now Rahne’s heart was aflutter whenever she saw Adam and she couldn’t wait to touch her lips to his.

Outside, Dr. Moira MacTaggert had arrived. It had been months since she had seen Rahne and she only grudgingly accepted that Rahne was happy. Rahne rarely talked to her on the phone, mostly only sending letters. It was difficult to believe that Emma Frost was treating her properly and Moira had to see it for herself. Moira also found it hard to believe Rahne had made lots of friends. The girl was so shy, and when she did have an outburst it was usually angry. Reverend Craig had her believe she was a sinner. Not that it mattered much. Even if Rahne was a lovely girl deep inside, her outside features would keep the boys away.  
Marching inside the girls dormitory, Moira grabbed the first girl she found.  
“Where can I find Rahne Sinclair,” Moira asked.  
“Upstairs,” the girl replied.  
“Thank you.”  
Moira walked up a flight of stairs. The first person she saw was a lovely young girl. Though she didn’t know it, the girl was Sharon.  
“Do you know which room belongs to Rahne Sinclair?”  
“I kind of think Rahne doesn’t want to be disturbed right now,” Sharon replied.  
“I’m her mother and if I want to disturb my daughter I bloody well will!”  
“Um, okay. Last door on the right.”  
Walking down to the door, Moira opened it without knocking. She saw two kids making out on the bed when she entered, but no sign of Rahne. They both jumped up when she came in.  
“I was told Rahne Sinclair was in here,” said Moira. “Do you know where she is?”  
“Mummy,” said the beautiful redhead. “You’ve truly come here to see me?”  
Moira’s jaw dropped open. When she looked closely, she could just make out the little bit of the Rahne Sinclair she remembered. What could have happened to transform her into this stunning beauty?  
“Rahne,” said Moira. “I don’t understand. How can this be you?”  
“Maybe I should go, Rahne,” Adam said. “I’m sure you and your mum have lots to talk about. Call me later so you can introduce us properly.”  
Rahne mumbled something and gave Adam a perfunctory kiss before he walked out.  
“Rahne, what happened?”  
Rahne sat down on her bed, looking scared and anxious.  
“I wanted to tell you, mummy,” Rahne said. “I really did. I was just afraid of how you’d react.”  
Moira could see other differences. Even as anxious as she was, Moira could sense a greater confidence, one that might just have been slightly eroded by Moira’s presence. Her voice was also somewhat different. It was huskier and clearer, with her words more enunciated. Perhaps the boy with her, obviously a well-bred Brit, had influenced her in that respect. Yet there was no doubt this was Rahne.  
“Why would you be afraid, Rahne? Don’t you know I’d love you no matter what?”  
“It’s… I feel like I’m someone else. I never thought I could feel so alive. I never knew this was inside of me all along.”  
“Tell me what happened.”  
Rahne explained how Sharon had a similar power and had likewise believed herself to be an unattractive girl. Then Ms. Frost taught her that she had never fully achieved her human form. Sharon progressively pushed her transformation until she came to her current form. When Rahne came to the Academy, she passed her experience along. The final transformation came in the month when she first saw Adam and began flirting with him.  
“You changed for a boy,” Moira asked.  
“I changed for me. It didn’t hurt that I wanted Adam to like me. Even so, he liked me before I came to look this way.”  
“Rahne, I just wish I could have been there for you while you were going through this. You know I love you no matter what.”  
“That’s why I didn’t want you to know.”  
“I don't understand.”  
“You love me no matter what,” said Rahne. “I’ll always love you for just seeing me as me and not what I am on the outside, but that’s not what I wanted. I might have just stayed plain if you’d been around because it wouldn’t matter to you. But it matters to me.”  
“You said this Adam liked you anyway.”  
“Oh, he does. My senses are very keen, even like this, and I always knew he genuinely liked me. Still, do you think he’d rather the plain girl or this one? Besides that, this is the real me, the complete human form. Denying myself this form is to deny myself.”  
“I see.”  
“I don’t think you do. Reverend Craig called my mother a whore, but others told me she was a sweet, beautiful woman.”  
“I never knew her, Rahne.”  
“That’s not the point! I hid inside an ugly girl so Reverend Craig wouldn’t think the same about me as he did her! The truth is that I’m my mother’s daughter, but that doesn’t make me a whore or a sinner. It makes me human.”  
Moira didn’t know how to react. It was obvious that these feelings had always been present but Rahne had never had the courage to voice them. Instead of speaking, she walked to Rahne and hugged her tightly.  
“I was afraid that Emma Frost had done something terrible to you or was holding you against your will.”  
“That was true for the first month, but not any longer. Before we got here, she treated her mutant students poorly. That changed after the New Mutants arrived. She treats us very well. I think she even likes us. She said so last night.”  
“What would make her say that?”  
“Oh, um, no reason. She just thought I was a good student.”  
Moira instantly recognized that Rahne was lying to her, or at least covering something up. She was happy enough to say Frost liked her but not willing to say why. Moira didn’t think it was embarrassment but instead the idea that she would disapprove. If Moira wanted any answers, and to not lose Rahne in the process, she would have to tread carefully.

When Illyana awoke, she had a mild headache. There was daylight and she was in an alleyway. She had no idea of what had happened when she last tried to teleport. Illyana had obviously lost time, but how much she didn’t know. Her head was spinning too much to teleport right now so she walked to the street.  
Glancing about, Illyana saw that she was in a large city. There were tall buildings everywhere. Then she spied the Empire State Building and knew exactly where she was.  
Hearing a loud crash, Illyana ran to check it out. A Sentinel had fallen on a building. Standing next to it was Tessa, Sebastian Shaw’s aide. She looked rather relieved. Not sure what was going on, Illyana assumed humans had once more sent Sentinels after mutants. Illyana walked over to her.  
“Are you okay,” Illyana asked.  
Tessa looked alarmed when she saw her.  
“Magik,” she cried. “Have they now sent the Hellions after me?”  
“What? No!”  
Tessa pointed to the logo on Illyana’s outfit. There was a clear association to the Hellfire Club as Masque had pointed out earlier.  
“I’m not here to hurt you! I promise!”  
“Then why are you here? A peace offering?”  
“What are you talking about,” asked Illyana. “Why would I work for the humans against mutants?”  
“Humans? Shaw controls those Sentinels!”  
That grabbed Illyana’s attention. Now that she thought about it, Illyana remembered something Kitty had told her when they still lived at Xavier’s. There was a government project with Sebastian Shaw’s name attached to it. Kitty and Doug had hacked into it. She thought at the time that it had something to do with Sentinels but found herself unable to get back into the system.  
“Wait,” said Illyana. “Is this something to do with… what’s the name? Project Wakeup or something?”  
Tessa’s eyes narrowed.  
“Project: Wideawake?”  
“That’s it! Kitty thought Shaw was involved with that somehow.”  
“This should not be news to you, Magik.”  
“Look, I don’t know what’s going on,” Illyana admitted. “I just… teleported some friends to safety. Then when I was teleporting out, I got this wicked pain and everything went black. I woke up in an alley but my head was spinning and I couldn’t teleport out. I really don’t know what’s going on.”  
Tessa looked around as if sensing something.  
“Someone’s coming,” said Tessa. “Come with me.”  
Tessa ran off and Illyana had no choice but to follow. She wanted answers and had the feeling she wasn’t going to like them. After about ten minutes or so, Tessa came to a halt and ducked inside a building. Illyana followed.  
“Why are you here,” Tessa asked. “Who sent you?”  
“I told you, it was some kind of screwed up teleport. I meant to go… somewhere else.”  
“Snow Valley, perhaps?”  
“Well, yeah. I just… Ms. Frost sent me on my first mission last night. I decided to help some friends and--”  
“First mission,” said Tessa. “That would be… Morlocks?”  
“Yeah. Masque.”  
“You’re in the future.”  
“What?”  
“Yes… yes, you might be of some use if you can stop this from happening.”  
“What? How?”  
Tessa took a deep breath. Her mind was like a computer and she was calculating all of the possibilities and variables.  
“Shaw is trying to start a war between humans and posthumans and he’s using Sentinels to do it. It looks like humans are attacking posthumans and that’s been rallying us to retaliate against the perceived aggressors. I found out what was happening and chose to oppose Shaw in front of the Lord’s Cardinal. I got no support. I had a couple of allies on the premises that helped me escape but it’s just three of us. Every time we turn around there’s a Sentinel or assassin after us.”  
“What can I do?”  
“You have to go back and change things,” was Tessa’s reply.  
“What do I change?”  
“Somehow, you need to contact me. If it’s any later than January 2019 then it’s too late. The sooner the better. You’ll also have to convince me that what you’re saying isn’t just a loyalty test.”  
“The only problem is about getting back. It sounds to me like I’m more than a year in the future. My ports can be a little off at times.”  
“I can help. You just have to let me in your mind. Not all the way but enough so that I can guide you.”  
“I don’t know…”  
“Illyana, remember that most of your friends have human parents, including Kitty. What do you think will happen to them?”  
Illyana closed her eyes. Concentrating, the barriers came down just enough to let Tessa inside. Illyana heard a gasp from Tessa. The telepath had barely seen anything about Illyana’s past but what she did see was far from pleasant. Illyana could sense that Tessa was having doubts as to whether or not she could trust her.  
Deciding that Illyana was her best hope no matter what, Tessa went ahead with the plan. Tessa flooded Illyana’s mind with images of Snow Valley so that she could truly feel it, at least well enough to get there. The harder part was the time. It would force Illyana to associate a different place with the same time. Tessa saw that Illyana had been at Xavier’s, saving Morlocks in secret, which was the best time upon which to focus. That was perfect because Illyana felt good about her actions. It also assured Tessa that she was making the right choice in trusting Illyana. The girl had good inside of her, even if she was still struggling with her darker nature.  
“Go,” said Tessa, issuing both verbal and telepathic commands.  
Illyana vanished, her barriers snapping completely back in place as she did. Maybe she could trust this future Tessa, but Emma Frost wasn’t getting into her head.

Eileen Harshaw brushed her blonde hair in the mirror in her room. Ivana Scarsdale was laid out on an empty bed. Since Eileen currently had a room to herself, that presented no problem.  
“You really are very pretty,” Ivana said as she watched.  
“Thank you,” Eileen replied. “You’re quite beautiful yourself.”  
Ivana got up off the bed and strolled over to where Eileen was standing.  
“Do you know what I’d really like to do?”  
“What’s that,” asked Eileen.  
“Kiss those sexy lips.”  
Eileen grinned, still looking in the mirror. Then she reached for a clip to hold her hair in place. Content with the way she looked, Eileen turned to Ivana.  
“I’d like that, too.”  
Eileen grabbed Ivana by the waist and pulled her forward into an embrace. Then she kissed her. It wasn’t a tentative kiss. Eileen was comfortable with what she was doing and very happy to be doing it. She sensed the same from Ivana. After several minutes lip-locked, they pulled apart.  
“That was wonderful,” Eileen said. “We should do that some more.”  
“This isn’t going to be one of those ‘I’m away at school so it’s okay’ kind of deals is it? Because I’ve been dating girls at home for a while now.”  
“It’s true I only had a boyfriend at home, just one, but I’ve always liked girls, too. I happen to like both. That’s not a problem is it?”  
“No. I just don’t want you running off to the next guy you see. I want you to myself if that’s okay.”  
“Are you asking me out,” Eileen asked.  
“Yes,” Ivana replied.  
“Then I’m saying yes. Let’s kiss some more.”  
Ivana smiled and leaned in for more.

Doug and Mark were in the Arts Studio in the music room. There were a few instruments around, including an electric guitar, and Mark was holding that in his hands.  
“Is two enough for a band,” Doug asked.  
“Beats me,” Mark answered. “It’s a start. If I’d known you had such a great voice I would have approached you sooner.”  
“How was I supposed to know you came up here all the time to play with yourself?”  
Mark laughed.  
“You’re just supposed to know!”  
With a pop, Illyana appeared above them, crashing into Mark and falling on top of him on the floor. Mark managed to flex his arms to make the landing tolerable.  
“I haven’t been in this position with you in a long time,” Mark quipped.  
Illyana glared at him and got up off the floor. Mark followed suit.  
“Where have you been,” Doug asked. “Frost is pretty upset that you’ve been missing.”  
“I’ll go talk to her,” Illyana responded. “In the meantime, you guys get Kitty, Dani, and Sam and bring them here. We have to talk about something important.”  
“Like what,” Mark asked.  
“Just get them!”  
Then she vanished. When Illyana reappeared just outside of Hancock House, she was in acceptable school clothing and considerably cleaner. Stepping inside, there was no one at the desk. It was a Saturday, after all. She sat down and waited. If Frost had been searching for her then Cerebra had most likely informed her that she was back.  
After about ten minutes, Emma Frost stepped inside of the building. She saw Illyana sitting there. A mix of anger and relief washed over her face, but she held both emotions in check.  
“Come into my office, Illyana,” was all she said.  
Illyana got up and followed. Emma turned on lights along the way before getting to her office. She sat down at her desk and gestured for Illyana take a seat on the other side.  
“Tell me what happened,” Emma said.  
“Well,” Illyana began. “After we dealt with Masque, I realized the Morlock Tunnels weren’t safe. I know some of the Morlocks. One of them saved my brother’s life.”  
“Why didn’t you bring them here?”  
“They’re all ugly, at least by human standards. You think I haven’t noticed that all of the Hellions are pretty much drop-dead gorgeous? I don’t think a little green guy with a big head and yellow eyes would fit in here and he was probably the only one young enough to attend.”  
“And where are they now?”  
“The Savage Land,” Illyana lied. She’d already planned it out so there’d be no hesitation. “I figured they could fit in there.”  
“You went off the grid, Illyana. Where were you?”  
“When I went to teleport back, there was a stabbing pain in my head. I ended up back in Manhattan, but a few months from now. It took me a few jumps to get back to the right time.”  
Emma sighed. She wasn’t entirely sure that Illyana was telling the truth and there was no way to be certain. Illyana’s mind was closed to telepathic intrusion. Even Charles Xavier had been unable to breach it.  
“When you went missing, I came to the decision that I must be much more aggressive in training you with your abilities. I believe one of the larger issues is your use of Limbo’s stepping discs. Diverting you elsewhere in mid-jump, particularly to a place where time and space are not entirely consistent, may be what causes you to lose sight of your destination.”  
Illyana looked perplexed.  
“That’s how my power works.”  
“Nonsense. Illyana, teleportation is your mutant ability. Had you never gone to Limbo you would still be a teleporter; your power manifested while in Limbo. You latched on to the stepping discs, which are nothing more than transportation between different areas of Limbo, and have used them ever since. You need to learn to separate Limbo from yourself.”  
“How do I do that,” Illyana asked. “Limbo is part of me. It reflects who I am.”  
“Perhaps,” Emma replied. “But I suspect it reflects its former master more than yourself. Belasco was evil when he assumed control of Limbo and it shaped itself to his will. Has that changed?”  
“No, I guess not.”  
“That means you have to separate yourself from Limbo and develop yourself. When you discover who Illyana Rasputin truly is inside, Limbo will begin to reflect it.”  
“What if it does reflect my true self?”  
“You are a sixteen year old girl. You haven’t even begun to discover life.”  
“I’m a killer.”  
“Only for now,” Emma replied. “I promise this will not last beyond graduation from the Academy. I have great plans for you that would be wasted on you being a heartless assassin.”  
“What sort of plans? Do they involve Kitty?”  
“Kitty and Doug, if not others. The three of you have amazing potential.”  
“To serve the Inner Circle?”  
“No, dear. You will be the Inner Circle, or at least a part of it. I know that you don’t agree with all that we do as members of the Lords Cardinal, and make no mistake that my intent is to place you there so you can influence our movements and temper our behavior.”  
Illyana nodded. That explained why she seemed to like Kitty and Doug so much. The idea appealed to her but there was just one hitch.  
“Kitty doesn’t have much money and I have even less.”  
“Oh really? I thought you just earned one hundred thousand dollars for a successful mission and a ten thousand dollar bonus for making the kill yourself.”  
“I… really? What did you do with the money?”  
“Invested it. You can do nothing with it until you turn eighteen but I guarantee it will turn into much more by the time you reach the age of majority. As you do more missions you will earn more money, which is exactly the reason for these assignments. You do me and the Hellfire Club no favors by being poor.”  
“What about Amara and Roberto? They seem to fit in.”  
“Hereditary membership will take care of them; do not trouble yourself over them.”  
“Okay,” Illyana said. “Am I still in trouble?”  
“Your punishment is that we are going to engage in several hours of intensive training tomorrow morning. I believe we can make that sword of yours more powerful. You’re excused.”  
Illyana smiled as she got up. She headed toward the door but then stopped and turned around.  
“Thank you, Ms. Frost.”  
“You are very welcome, Illyana.”  
As Illyana went out the door, Emma smiled to herself. She had Kitty and now Illyana. The girl had no previous allegiance to anyone other than herself and Kitty Pryde, but that had changed. Illyana was now hers. That left only Doug Ramsey but Emma didn’t expect he was going to be very difficult to obtain, particularly since she already had Kitty. It seemed that Illyana’s little trip to help the Morlocks had been more of a boon than Emma could ever have guessed. Punishing Illyana for disappearing rather than helping the Morlocks had also proven an effective tool in altering Illyana’s perceptions of her. That would be something to keep in mind when developing loyalty in others.

When Illyana arrived at the Arts Studio, she saw that Mark and Doug had followed her orders. They had brought Kitty, Sam and Dani. These five were the only people in the world she trusted implicitly and without reservation.  
Kitty immediately went to Illyana and hugged her tightly. Then she pulled away, an angry look on her face.  
“Where have you been,” Kitty demanded. “I was worried!”  
“I have a good excuse. I promise!”  
Illyana recounted her tale to the others, from her decision to help the Morlocks, to where she put them, to what she specifically told Frost – as well as what she left out. Just in case Frost questioned them they would be able to back up the story Illyana had given. Most importantly, she told them what Tessa had said.  
“Do you believe her,” Sam asked. “She works for Shaw.”  
“Yeah, but remember when the New Mutants were first getting together,” Dani said. “Tessa helped us and the Prof didn’t seem to think she was untrustworthy.”  
“I do trust her,” said Illyana. “As hard as that might seem to believe. When she was in my mind I could sense her anxiety. She thought I might tell Shaw.”  
“She’s a telepath,” Doug said. “She could make you think anything she wanted.”  
“No. My mind is… difficult to influence. Trust me.”  
“Before we go any further,” Mark interrupted. “I think we need to consider what we’re doing right here and now.”  
“Frost,” said Kitty.  
“Not just her. Tyler and the Cuckoos, too. Who knows what sort of snooping they might do? At the very least, Sam and I have no protections from telepathy and I don’t know how much any of you would stand up to a deep probe.”  
“What are we supposed to do,” Doug asked.  
Mark hesitated, partly because he was afraid of the reaction he would get.  
“Remember when Angelica and I got into trouble last month?”  
“I remember,” Kitty said, anger in her voice. “You got drunk and high.”  
Mark cringed at her comment but didn’t deny it.  
“The place we went… it’s off the grid. Only posthumans can get in and all activities inside are blocked. I found that out when Frost tried to figure out where we'd been and couldn’t. No amount of scanning told her, even when we were actively thinking about it. Jenny told me the place protects itself.”  
“An X-Door,” Doug said.  
“Yes.”  
“Why would it hide from Frost?”  
“The door showed up because there’s a concentration of posthumans in the area, almost all of whom are teenagers. If Frost found out we were going in there she might try to stop us. That would defeat the purpose of its presence.”  
“Are you suggesting that we have this conversation there,” asked Dani.  
“Yes, but there is one catch.”  
“There always is,” Kitty remarked. “What is it?”  
“You have to give blood.”  
“Why,” Sam asked. “What will they do with it?”  
“MGH,” said Doug. “What else?”  
“Is that the mutant drug,” Illyana asked. “The one that gives humans temporary powers?”  
“That’s the one,” Mark answered. “One vial per visit. That covers entry and everything inside that doesn’t involve betting.”  
“If we do this,” Kitty began. “You go nowhere near any drugs. You don’t even look at them. And you don’t go to the bar for anything. Not even a glass of water. You aren’t even going to take a piss alone. Got it?”  
“Don’t worry, Kitty.”  
“Shut up! Do it my way or we figure out something else.”  
“Okay, okay! I get it! We’ll be fine!”  
“Where is this place?”  
“It’s in the back room at Murphy’s.”  
“I’ve never been inside Murphy’s,” said Illyana. “Maybe if I scry it… there. Let’s go.”  
Illyana snapped her fingers and six stepping discs appeared and whisked them off to the back room at Murphy’s. The door with the silvery ‘X’ was right where Mark said. Without waiting, Mark grabbed the handle of the door and stepped through. They were in the same dimly lit room. Guido wasn’t present this time so Mark knew they were all going to have to be wanded. This one was sort of orange in color and she occasionally glowed.  
“What can I do for you,” she asked.  
“We want to get into Mojoworld,” Mark replied.  
The woman pulled out the wand and passed it in front of Mark.  
“You’re clear for two more visits after this one, Flex.”  
“What’s that about,” Kitty asked.  
Mark shrugged. “I paid ahead a bit.”  
“The other five had the wand pass over them, though the woman gave Illyana a funny look.  
“Mojo might want to meet you personally,” the woman said to Illyana.  
“Why is that,” asked Illyana.  
“A sorceress protégé with a dark bent holds some appeal to him.”  
The five Hellions all gave their blood as required. Unlike Mark, none of them paid ahead since they weren’t sure they’d ever return. The greeter then went over the rules. When this was done, the small room faded and Mojoworld appeared in its place, the large logo overhead making sure everyone knew exactly where they were.  
“Now where,” asked Doug. “We need someplace kind of quiet but not so quiet that we can be overheard.”  
“How about a blues club,” said Mark. “I remember seeing one early on last time.”  
After searching a few minutes, they finally had to stop to ask someone for directions. Once they knew which way to go it was easy. They settled down in a corner booth. A waitress soon came over and took orders, offering food, drinks and drugs. They settled for soda, seltzer and water, as well as a sampler platter of fried foods. It was only after they were served that the conversation began.  
“I can see how you got the drugs so easily,” Kitty commented. “You’d just better not come here again without supervision. Angelica doesn’t cut it since she’s a bad influence.”  
“She can’t help it,” said Mark.  
“Why not?”  
“I know why,” Sam cut in. “Mark told me on the first day when he got here that Frost would try to corrupt us. He said Angelica was a sweet, naïve girl until Frost got her hooked on whatever PH drug she was pushing. She’s an addict.”  
“Just like Mark.”  
“And for the same reason.”  
“Let’s just quit jumping on Mark, okay,” said Illyana. “She… she did bad things to him.”  
Mark shot her a look. Illyana knew that Frost had been using sex as a part of her ‘therapy’ sessions with him. He never got the impression that she told anyone but he didn’t think she kept very many secrets from Kitty.  
“Like what,” Dani asked.  
“Just her stupid therapy,” said Illyana. “It obviously didn’t help him but it did make him an addict. The only person who’s ever helped him, or ever even really tried, was Kitty. I count myself as being just as guilty. Mark put himself on the line to help us when Frost captured us. Then when we came here we just ignored his pain. How many of us made any attempt to help him after his parents died? We all knew he was drugged out of his skull from grief but we didn’t help. Kitty helped. Fabian tried to until…” Illyana cut herself off. She didn’t think Mark would appreciate having his secrets laid out. “And Doug did a little, too. The rest of us just stood by.”  
“I’m pretty sure James and Bo wanted to help,” said Kitty.  
“Good intentions are great but it doesn’t matter if you don’t do anything. It’s not the thought that counts in this case.”  
Mark gave Illyana a grateful look, both for defending him and for not revealing his secrets. It mattered that someone knew what was going on. It was easy to judge, and they had all done so. Now they were realizing their own flaws. They had mostly been too centered on their own plight to think about anyone else.  
“I’m sorry, Mark,” said Kitty. “I get the funny feeling that Illyana knows a lot more about you than she’s saying but we all know you’ve been through a lot. You need help, and if we’re really your friends we’ll stand by and give it to you.”  
“Good,” said Illyana with a smile. “Now let’s get down to business.”  
“We’re going to a party in August,” Kitty answered. “Frost wants us all at the Hellfire Club’s Annual Fire Ball. She’s going to introduce me as her protégé.”  
The only one not surprised at that statement was Illyana.  
“How could you do that,” Sam asked.  
“I did what I had to do. Trust me, it’s made everything better. Did you notice that she’s never harsh to any of the Hellions?”  
“I did notice that,” said Mark. “Before you got here she could be very cruel.”  
“Then we need a cool name,” said Doug. “If we’re going to be conspirators we should call ourselves something.”  
“What do you have in mind,” asked Dani.  
“Krypteia.”  
“Is that like Superman or something?”  
“You’re all uneducated heathens. In Sparta, the Krypteia were the youth who were being eyed as the leaders of tomorrow. They acted as a kind of police force as part of their training. We are going to be that police. We’re going to shape the face of tomorrow. Krypteia.”  
“Works for me,” said Kitty.  
“We make contact with Tessa in August,” Dani said. “Who’s going to do it?”  
“I think I…”Illyana started.  
“No.” Kitty cut her off. “I’m taking charge and I’ll make the contact.”  
“What makes you more qualified than me,” asked Dani.  
“I’m a white Jew who has become the protégé of Emma Frost. You’re an American Indian who has been quite vocal about her feelings toward Frost. Who do you think will be more trusted to roam? I can also keep a cool head when necessary.”  
“That’s not fair!”  
“Dani, I’m not at all doubting your ability to lead in combat. I just know I’ll be better on this end. Any other objections?”  
Illyana grinned at Kitty.  
“I knew there was a reason I liked you so much.”  
“Because I read you bedtime stories when you were a little girl?”  
“That too.”  
“Okay,” said Sam. “Now what?”  
“Now we sit back and wait for more information,” Kitty replied. “Until we meet Tessa it’s difficult to do anything.”  
“I don’t like the idea of doing nothing.”  
“Well, I do have a project for Doug.”  
“Oh,” Doug asked.  
“Yes. The X-Men, my old teammates, are gone. Marie-Ange doesn’t think they’re ever coming back and Illyana’s visit into the future seems to confirm it. But there are other X-Men out there. Angel, Beast, Iceman, Polaris, Banshee or, hell, even Sunfire. We need to make contact with one of them. They’re allies and that’s what we need. Doug is going to find them and, if he can do it without being caught, get a message to them.  
“Dr. MacTaggert came to see Rahne,” said Dani. “She might still be here.”  
“We should slip her a note.”  
“It can’t be done like that,” said Mark. “If this woman knows about the note Frost might pick up on it. You need to get it on her person so she finds it later. The note should be written here so it’s locked away in our heads.”  
Kitty got up from the table and went to the bar to get a piece of paper and a pen. When she came back, she started the note. It was short and simple: ‘Warren must meet Tessa at the Fire Ball. K—’  
“Why Warren?”  
“He’s loaded and already a member. Even if he wasn’t planning to go he at least wouldn’t look out of place.”  
“Am I still trying to find contacts,” Doug asked.  
“Yes,” said Illyana. “Tessa said she had two allies but I have no idea who they are. They could be X-Men. One of them, whoever it was, must have taken out the Sentinel so that person must be pretty powerful. Let’s try to find whoever it is.”  
“Are we done,” Dani asked.  
“I think so,” said Kitty.  
“Good, then give me the note. I’ll drop in to see Rahne, give Moira a hug, and slip the note into her pocket.”  
“Good plan,” Kitty said. “Now let’s get out of here and help our boy Mark by getting him away from temptation… just for starters.”

“It sounds as though you come from an unusual lineage,” Moira remarked. “Not sure of which father is your biological parent, and the possibility that Mercedes is actually your half-sister, but also that you don’t possess the traits human-Atlantean hybrids typically possess. The wings of Namor and Namorita are among the more common we've seen. Also interesting is that you are a water-breather but not your sister.”  
“That was something of a sticking point with Mercedes, particularly when I went off with my mother and elder brother one summer.”  
“And your brother.”  
“Mummy,” Rahne interrupted. “Can’t we please talk about something other than genetics?”  
“Of course, Rahne,” said Moira. “It is just so unusual to encounter such a situation. There are other things we could be discussing. Adam, what do your fathers do for a living?”  
“Father – that’s Geoffrey, is a clothing designer. He has created one line in particular just for Emma Frost, giving her a white outfit for every occasion and updated for the seasons. Papa – that’s Alan, is an engineering contractor. They make a healthy income. Mercedes and I were originally attending Stowe Academy until my disappearing act. Then my fathers decided that a closer watch needed to be made on me. Father had a discussion with Ms. Frost about Mercedes and I with the result being that we came here, to the Massachusetts Academy.”  
“How has it been since you’ve come here?”  
“It’s nice to be able to use my powers at least somewhat openly. As I’m sure you know, there are quite a number of posthumans on campus.”  
“You use the terminology posthuman,” Moira interrupted.  
“Biologically speaking, I am no longer human. I’m incapable of procreating with a human; hence, I am posthuman.”  
“Don’t you think the term might be specist?”  
“From a psychological viewpoint, I'm human. Genetically I'm not. That is based on studies I've read on the subject.”  
“I don’t think-”  
“Mummy,” Rahne shouted. “Adam is stating a biological truth. You may not like the facts but it is reality. As it happens, I am also posthuman. Adam and I, were we to someday choose to do so, might have a child together. The same is not true with the son of the Prime Minister. He is human I am not. I thought Charles Xavier’s dream was that, while we were different, we could live in harmony. Part of learning to live in harmony is to first be aware of who and what we are.”  
Moira was quiet for a moment.  
“Well said, Rahne. You are correct. Adam, I apologize. Sometimes that part of me that likes to play devil’s advocate can get out of hand.”  
“No offense taken, Dr. MacTaggert,” Adam said.  
“Well, then,” Moira said, putting her napkin down. “It was wonderful sharing tea with the two of you. Now that I have seen that my daughter is safe and healthy – and who will make the time to talk to her mother from now on – I can be on my way.”  
“I’m glad to have met Rahne’s mother at last, Dr. MacTaggert.”  
“If you continue to date my daughter, you will see me with more frequency, particularly when the both of you come home for Holiday. Now, Rahne, you may walk me to my car.”  
Rahne got up from the table. She gave Adam a bright smile and walked off with Moira.  
“Interesting young man you have there,” Moira said.  
“He’s wonderful.”  
“He can also hold himself against me in conversation. You stepping in was only to keep things from getting too far out-of-hand but I think he would have done just fine. That is something I can respect.”  
Just as the two had reached Moira’s rental car, Dani came running up.  
“Dr. MacTaggert,” she cried out to get her attention.  
Moira turned to look and saw Dani running toward her. She waited until the girl got there.  
“I didn’t realize you were here or I would have made sure I saw you sooner!”  
Dani hugged Moira and tried to slip the note into her pocket but it fell to the ground. Improvising, Dani reached to the ground to pick it up.  
“You must have dropped this,” Dani said, handing it to Moira.  
“I don’t think so,” Moira said.  
She was about to open the note when Dani interrupted.  
“How have things been with you and Mr. Cassidy?”  
“Very well. How are things with you these days? Are you happy here?”  
Dani could see the concerned look on her face. Even if she really wanted to leave, or was willing to abandon her friends, Dani couldn’t say anything. Frost would certainly know and that could make things go badly for Dr. MacTaggert.  
“Oh, fine. I’m settling in. Just before we came here I found out my parents are alive. They’re back in Colorado.”  
“I’m surprised you didn’t want to go back with them.”  
“I felt too much like I’d be abandoning my friends. Besides, I spent the whole Winter Break with them and I was just there for Spring Break.”  
“That’s very nice, Danielle. If you ever need anything at all, or you… well, just call me. I don’t like you being here, so if you ever want to leave, tell me.”  
“I don’t think that will happen. We’re all pretty happy here, more than you’d think. It’s kind of nice. I fit in and have lots of friends.”  
Moira sighed, still unconvinced. Absentmindedly, she stuck the note in her pocket.  
“Unfortunately, I have to go,” said Moira. “Or I’ll miss my flight.”  
“It was great seeing you. Have a nice flight!”  
As Moira got into the car, Dani turned to walk away. It had been close but she didn’t even feel as though she could tell the others. Passing the note was risky enough without actually speaking about it.

“Manuel,” Bo said, stopping his teammate in the hallway. “We need to have words.”  
James stood just inside their room, listening.  
“Leave me alone, cretin,” was Manuel’s response.  
“I don’t think so,” Bo said as he pushed Manuel against the wall.  
“You dare?”  
“We dare,” James said, stepping into view.  
“It’s about time you learned a lesson,” Bo said. “You fucked with one of our friends and now you’re gonna pay for it.”  
Before Manuel could do anything, Bo punched him in the gut. It was barely even a tap, but Manuel keeled over. James grabbed an arm and snapped a bone.  
“You’re never going to mess with any of us again,” James said.  
Even through the pain, Manuel tried to lash out. His eyes glowed but nothing happened.  
“Turns out one of your enemies decided to be friendly with us,” Bo said. “You can’t touch us.”  
Bo slammed Manuel hard enough that his ribs cracked.  
As Manuel fell to the ground, he saw Tyler Dayspring and Sophie emerge from his room. Tyler was smiling, though Sophie remained as passive as ever. Tyler kneeled down and took Manuel’s head in his hands.  
“You will never hurt any of us again,” Tyler said. “Now you get to understand why I’m Omega.”  
Standing up, Tyler clasped hands with Sophie. Her eyes glowed as she used her powers; curiously, Tyler's eyes did the same. Their powers had somehow formed a gestalt like the one Sophie normally had only with her sisters.  
“If you ever use your powers against us, your mind will have a potentially fatal seizure. At minimum, you’ll be in a permanent coma.”  
“Lights out,” James said, kicking Manuel’s head and knocking him unconscious.

Later, when Emma came on the scene, she demanded to know what had happened. Manuel was not anyone’s favorite by any stretch of the imagination and he’d made several enemies amongst the Hellions. This, however, was going too far.  
“He fell,” was Bo’s response.  
“Fell,” Emma responded incredulously.  
Deciding to find the answers herself, Emma reached into Bo’s mind. A section of his mind regarding the incident was blocked off with a gleaming omega symbol. Whatever had happened involved Tyler Dayspring. That boy was the most powerful telepath Emma had ever encountered. The only thing that kept him in check was his lack of experience. On a hunch, Emma entered Manuel’s mind. There was the same symbol but this time it was attached to a mental trigger. She couldn’t tell what it was meant to do but she suspected it could be lethal. Emma now realized that Tyler had learned not just to create barriers in the minds of others but also stamp those minds with his own personal symbol. To Emma’s knowledge, that was impossible. Tyler Dayspring had done something new, a thing never before seen in the history of telepathy.  
What was more disturbing was that Bo had decided to join Tyler. He was mostly a good boy, even if a bit of a roughhouse. Emma couldn’t imagine any sort of alliance between them, especially since Bo had wanted revenge on Tyler a few months earlier after the incident with Mark and Fabian. What could have possibly changed?  
“I guess this sort of thing can happen when you leave us to solve problems on our own,” said James. “People can get hurt badly.”  
Emma didn’t even have to enter James’s mind to know that she would find Tyler’s symbol but looked just the same. It was there. It completely shielded knowledge of the incident in his mind. If Tyler decided to expand this to entire minds she would lose all control over them. That meant she was going to have to figure out a way to stop Tyler from doing it any further, even if it meant putting up blocks in the others to keep him out.  
“Come to me with your problems in the future, James,” Emma said.  
Then, with nothing more to be said, she left.

“Doug, can you believe Bo and James did that,” said Roberto. “They beat up Manuel and then got away with lying to Ms. Frost about it.”  
“Who cares,” said Doug. “They probably would have done it sooner if they didn’t hate Tyler. Once they resolved that issue it was only a matter of time before they went after Manuel. He deserved it anyway.”  
Doug strummed a guitar. It wasn't electric, like the one Mark had been using earlier, but the kind usually reserved for campfire songs. Doug thought that if he and Mark didn’t find some more band members he would need to learn how to play. All he had to do was learn the notes, a language or pattern, and he’d be set.  
“Why did they hate him?”  
“Some prank Manuel, Tyler, and Christopher pulled on Fabian and Mark. It was the night when Mark OD’d. I don’t know the details.”  
“That justified what happened tonight?”  
“Dude, the guy made Christopher brutally rape Tyler. You saw how screwed up Tyler was. Wouldn’t you want revenge, especially when all Manuel got was the equivalent of a slap on the wrist?”  
“It still doesn’t seem right.”  
“There’s no way to deal with Manuel. His powers make it so no one can mess with him. I promise you that none of the other Hellions, except maybe Esme, will care.”  
Roberto said nothing further. It was obvious that Doug not only didn’t care what had happened but actually approved of it. Manuel suffered a broken arm, broken ribs, and possibly even his back. He worried that they were engaging in vigilante justice and wondered if it wasn’t going to be echoed by the posthuman community in the world at large. What would become of the world when posthumans refused to obey the law?

In the TV lounge, Mark and Fabian sat watching the television and chatting about random things. They quieted down when a news alert interrupted So You Think You Can Dance.

We interrupt this program to bring you breaking news of an uprising on the island nation of Genosha, located just off of the southeastern coast of Africa. In an unprecedented act of aggression, posthumans have overthrown the Genoshan government and installed their own into roles formerly occupied by humans. Here now is a clip of the self-appointed new insurgent ruler of Genosha, who calls himself Abyss.

On the screen was the image of a being who was clearly posthuman. His skin was tar black and his eyes electric blue. His hair, composed of energy, appeared as a blue mohawk. Despite the dark skin, it was almost as if he were translucent. Abyss’s arms also seemed to stretch out in spirals like a spring. In his outstretched hand, Abyss held a head.

I hold in my hand the head of Dr. David Moreau, the so-called Genegineer. This man created the process that turned all posthumans in Genosha into slaves. We have overthrown this oppressive regime and replaced it with our own. Beginning now, I  
am proclaiming all of posthumanity to be de facto citizens of Genosha. I will consider any acts of unwarranted aggression against posthumanity to be a declaration of war on Genosha.

The transmission ended and was replaced by a newscaster.

As has become evident, Abyss destroyed the human government and has declared war on humanity. He is even daring us to make the first move. The United  
Nations has proclaimed this an act of genocide and racial cleansing.

“Can you believe that,” Mark said.  
“It’s amazing,” Fabian responded. “A place where we can be normal.”  
“Yeah, but did you notice how slanted the newscaster was? Abyss outright said that posthumans had been enslaved. When they broke free they overthrew the government. Why is it okay to enslave the posthumans but not okay to overthrow the people who did it? Humans really are against us.”  
Mark couldn’t believe he’d just said that. He knew what the newscaster said was a well-rehearsed statement. He couldn’t help but think that this was the beginning of whatever Illyana had seen. Abyss said acts of aggression against posthumans would lead to war. Shaw was using Sentinels to make it appear as though humans were starting the war. It was scary to think that this was the start of it all and they were still four months from meeting Tessa.  
“I’ve got to talk to Kitty,” Mark said, getting up off the couch.  
Instead of heading to his own room, he knocked on Doug and Roberto’s door. It was late and they were probably sleeping but Mark didn’t care. This was too important.  
Roberto opened up the door, looking none too happy.  
“What is it, Mark,” he asked.  
“You’ve got to see the news,” Mark said. “Now!”  
“What’s going on?”  
“Something big, I swear. I’ll get Doug.”  
Roberto made his way down the hall to the lounge while Mark shook Doug awake. He was apparently a deep sleeper but he finally woke up.  
“What’re you doing here,” Doug groggily asked.  
“Ever heard of Genosha?”  
“Somewhere near Africa, right?”  
“That’s it. It turns out that the Genoshan government had enslaved all of its posthumans years ago. They just revolted and replaced the entire government with posthumans. Their new leader is some guy called Abyss who declared all posthumans to be citizens of Genosha. He also said that any aggression against posthumans would be a declaration of war against Genosha.”  
“This is how it starts, isn’t it?”  
“I think so. We’d better tell the others.”  
“Guess we have to move sooner than we thought,” said Doug. “Looks like the Krypteia are officially in business.”  
Out in the hall, a figure overheard them. When Doug made his phone call, whoever was there stepped away. He didn’t know what the Krypteia was all about but had a feeling they knew what was going on in Genosha. It was just a matter of who he should tell, if anyone.

End


End file.
